Feast of Mashíyyat/Will - September 26, 2024
Bahá’í National Fund Update
As of September 15th, $13.5M has been contributed towards the Bahá’í National Fund goal of $50M
(For fiscal year 2024-25).
Unrestricted (not earmarked) contributions towards the National Fund goal allow for flexibility in supporting the many activities of the Faith. Universal Participation will be the key to achieving this victory. To Contribute please visit https://ocs.bahai.us/ocs/
Unit Convention Issue
As the Friends are gathering for the Unit Convention in a couple of weeks, the Office of the Treasurer is pleased to share a special edition of the Bahá’í Fund Bulletin, highlighting some of the announcements and updates related to the Fund that will be shared at those gatherings.
In addition to the vital task of electing delegates, the unit conventions provide us with a wonderful opportunity to consult about the tasks and opportunities that stand before us. As the National Treasurer shared in his recent letter to the Bahá’í community, “We walk that path seeking an “ever more profound understanding of Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings,” knowing that they alone are the “sovereign remedy for every disease,” and are invested with the power to rebuild society, to put right every injustice, and to heal every broken heart. In our quest to learn the ways of our Lord and to apply them to the needs of humanity, we are “committed to the prosperity of all,” recognizing that the welfare of every soul “rests in the welfare of society at large.”... The society-building mission of the Nine Year Plan seeks to transform the “inner life and social environment” of humanity. We view everyone as a friend and potential partner with whom to work for progress. And we are mindful that the success of our mission depends on every individual’s initiative; the steady growth of the capacities of our Local Assemblies, Regional Councils, and our National Assembly; and the consistent provision of the funds needed to sustain the progress of our efforts."
A copy of the full Unit Convention Fund Brochure which also includes this letter in its entirety is also available below for download.
Town Hall Webinar Experience: Join the Conversation!
On September 5, over 700 participants joined three members of the National Spiritual Assembly - Dr. Robert C. Henderson (Treasurer), Dr. Rabi Ann Musah (Vice Chair), and Dr. David F. Young (Chairperson) - for a Town Hall webinar hosted by the Office of the Treasurer. Over 200 individuals attended the September 15 Webinar which included a viewing of the recording of the previous webinar.
This webinar was focused on sharing global, local, and individual examples of the advancement of the work of the Nine Year plan. In addition some of the common questions from previous webinars were discussed.
Below are just a few examples of the great feedback that has been received thus far regarding these webinars.
“Please continue presenting these Webinars! They are very encouraging for small communities (and others) who work tirelessly to teach the Faith.”
“It was informative, uplifting, and unifying.”
“The heart was moved and learning about my role in advancing the Plan and continuing to building the new World Order was very clear”
“I learned about universal three steps in gathering effective forces that would better facilitate any community building endeavor from Pendleton experience.”
“The information imparted with very uplifting! I shared a summary of the webinar with my local community during Feast!”
If you missed the September 5 Town Hall Webinar, for a limited time, please find a copy of the recording at: https://www.bahai.us/community/resources/fund. We hope you can join us for the next Town Hall meeting. Look for the invitation here and also via email.
Fundraiser Held for the Persian Bahá’í Media Service
The Persian Bahá’í Media Service held a successful fundraiser at the Friends of Persian Culture Conference on Saturday, August 31, at the Renaissance Hotel. The National Secretary, National Treasurer, and Persian BMS Director graciously served as the keynote speakers. Over 95 participants attended the event which began with a performance by Luke Slott, a talented musician from Ireland.
The gathering was warm, loving, and deeply spiritual. Many attendees expressed that it was one of the highlights of the conference for them. As a result of this event, to date, approximately $500,000 has been generously contributed toward the $1.5M annual budget set for the Persian BMS. This budget represents the minimum amount of funds necessary to support this vital work. The privilege and the bounty of providing support for the advancement of the Cause in the birthplace of the Faith through this initiative has been given to the American Bahá’í community by the Universal House of Justice.
YOUTH CORNER
“ALL MUST SURGE, BUT THE YOUTH MUST SOAR"
The Universal House of Justice, Ridván 2024
Excerpts from a letter written by one of the junior youth to her teachers at the Green Acre Summer School program. These types of programs are made possible through contributions to the National Bahá'í Fund. Look for the full article in an upcoming issue of The American Bahá'í Magazine.
This is N… from Green Acre 2024 Summer School writing to you to tell you about my devotional that I just hosted this afternoon at my local park.
I invited nine other kids from my neighborhood that I knew, as well as their families, to join me at the picnic tables at Battery Lane Park for an evening of prayers, songs, snacks, games (for the children) and fellowship that I called my Family Fun Time Devotional. My goal was to build community by bringing together new families and strengthening the bonds between ones that were already friends. In all six families participated: four kids, 3 junior youth, 2 youth and 8 adults. Prayers and songs were shared from the Baha’i Faith, Buddhist tradition, the Holy Bible, and Jewish tradition. I brought two Baha’i children’s prayer books, a few children read from them, and one parent in particular studied the prayers intently and was deeply moved by the Words. The prayers and songs by other Faith traditions were selected and shared by the participants.
At the end of the event there was a distinct feeling of joy and community in the air...
I was very happy to host this devotional and very grateful for both of your help in teaching me and my classmates about how to host a devotional. It has prepared me to undertake future devotionals like this one, and given me a new sense of confidence when it comes to inviting people to Bahai events and teaching them about the Faith!"
Our appreciation for the photos above which were provided by the Green Acre Baha'i School of this year's summer school session and for the flyer shared by the wonderful youth who shared her letter with us.
Youth Training Institutes, Bahá’í Summer Schools, and Youth Camps are some of many society-building efforts that are made possible by contributions to the Funds of the Faith. Did you attend one of these activities this summer? Send us your reflections or stories about the event or on the Institution of the Fund. Stories, pictures, and or videos can be sent to bahaitreasurersoffice@usbnc.org.